For the second straight year, my journey through the Short Film Program had an extra degree of excitement. Due to the timing and location of the screenings, I was able to view all three categories in one day. It started with Animation at the newly-remodeled NuArt Theatre on Santa Monica Boulevard, followed almost immediately by … Continue reading Oscar Blitz 2023 – Live Action Short (VIDEO)
If you've followed this blog since its inception, and even if you haven't, you might well be aware that I have a personal rule regarding cinematic remakes. With very few exceptions, the basic line is, "fuck those cynical cash grab pieces of shit." However, there are times when even I'll violate my longstanding procedure, and … Continue reading DownStream – Halloweenies
The second year of the Oscar Blitz on this blog has been a wild ride, and I thank each and every one of my readers for taking it with me. Tomorrow's the big night, and after five weeks of in-depth analysis and general shit-talk, it's time to put my non-existent money where my loud mouth … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Who Will Win?
We've come to it at last, folks. The award to end all awards, the one win to rule them all. It's time to take all the laughs, tears, analysis, and petulant bitching and lump it all together to see which nominee should win Best Picture less than a mere 48 hours from now. And because … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Picture
Up until about a couple days ago, my breakdown of this category had been rendered superfluous. In the never-ending shit show that this year's ceremony has become, the Academy originally decided to relegate Cinematography, Film Editing, Live Action Short, and Makeup & Hairstyling to commercial breaks at Sunday's Oscars. Never once anticipating that people watching … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Cinematography
Last year, Natalie Portman made a political statement by calling out the fact that all five nominees for Best Director at the Golden Globes were men. It was a bit annoying, because it didn't matter whether or not a woman actually did a directing job worthy of consideration (Patty Jenkins, perhaps?), what mattered in her … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Best Director
While the Oscar Blitz has been going on, the other major ceremonies of this year's Awards Season have been having their say on the final outcome. Over the last couple of weeks, we've gotten results from the BAFTAs, SAG, and the DGA. The Writers Guild and the Independent Spirit Awards are still to come, but … Continue reading I’m Giving Out Wings! – Awards Circuit Catch-Up
Ah, my favorite of the major categories, Original Screenplay. The world's best writers vie for supremacy with these weird things called original thoughts, stories, and dialogue. Or, at least, that's what it should be. These days it's more of a consolation prize for a Best Picture nominee that doesn't really have a chance to win … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Original Screenplay
Just like the Documentary branch of the Academy seems to have a seething vendetta against films that engage with mass audiences, so to do the Foreign Language voters seem to have an innate bias against one particular country. South Korea has been submitting off and on in this category since 1962, with 30 films put … Continue reading Oscar Gold 2019 – Foreign Language
It's time! It's finally time! Time to debate and debase the thinking of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, because the nominees for the 91st Oscars have arrived! Will I have to scramble to see multiple films I missed over the course of 2018? Will it just be a casual trip to the … Continue reading 3, 2, 1, BLITZ! – 91st Academy Award Nominees Announced!
I Actually Paid To See This 